varnish
(noun) a coating that provides a hard, lustrous, transparent finish to a surface
varnish, seal
(verb) cover with varnish
Source: WordNet® 3.1
varnish (countable and uncountable, plural varnishes)
A type of paint with a solvent that evaporates to leave a hard, transparent, glossy film.
Anything resembling such a paint; glossy appearance.
(by extension) A deceptively showy appearance.
(rail, US, informal, dated) a passenger train, probably derived from the varnished passenger cars used at one time.
varnish (third-person singular simple present varnishes, present participle varnishing, simple past and past participle varnished)
(intransitive) To apply varnish.
(transitive) To cover up with varnish.
(transitive) To gloss over a defect.
• Harvins, hrivnas
Source: Wiktionary
Var"nish, n. Etym: [OE. vernish, F. vernis, LL. vernicium; akin to F. vernir to varnish, fr. (assumed) LL. vitrinire to glaze, from LL. vitrinus glassy, fr. L. vitrum glass. See Vitreous.]
1. A viscid liquid, consisting of a solution of resinous matter in an oil or a volatile liquid, laid on work with a brush, or otherwise. When applied the varnish soon dries, either by evaporation or chemical action, and the resinous part forms thus a smooth, hard surface, with a beautiful gloss, capable of resisting, to a greater or less degree, the influences of air and moisture.
Note: According to the sorts of solvents employed, the ordinary kinds of varnish are divided into three classes: spirit, turpentine, and oil varnishes. Encyc. Brit
2. That which resembles varnish, either naturally or artificially; a glossy appearance. The varnish of the holly and ivy. Macaulay.
3. An artificial covering to give a fair appearance to any act or conduct; outside show; gloss. And set a double varnish on the fame The Frenchman gave you. Shak. Varnish tree (Bot.), a tree or shrub from the juice or resin of which varnish is made, as some species of the genus Rhus, especially R. vernicifera of Japan. The black varnish of Burmah is obtained from the Melanorrhoea usitatissima, a tall East Indian tree of the Cashew family. See Copal, and Mastic.
Var"nish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Varnished; p. pr. & vb. n. Varnishing.] Etym: [Cf. F. vernir, vernisser. See Varnish, n.]
1. To lay varnish on; to cover with a liquid which produces, when dry, a hard, glossy surface; as, to varnish a table; to varnish a painting.
2. To cover or conceal with something that gives a fair appearance; to give a fair coloring to by words; to gloss over; to palliate; as, to varnish guilt. "Beauty doth varnish age." Shak. Close ambition, varnished o'er with zeal. Milton. Cato's voice was ne'er employed To clear the guilty and to varnish crimes. Addison.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
24 December 2024
(adverb) in an intuitive manner; “inventors seem to have chosen intuitively a combination of explosive and aggressive sounds as warning signals to be used on automobiles”
According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee press is 230 cm (7 ft 6 in) in height and 72 cm (2 ft 4 in) in diameter and was created by Salzillo Tea and Coffee (Spain) in Murcia, Spain, in February 2007. The cafetière consists of a stainless steel container, a filtering piston, and a superior lid.
